Observing Surgery

[jg121]

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Hi there. I am in my sophomore year in college and I've been doing the whole pre-med thing. I decided to do this at the start of my freshman year, but since i made the choice so late in my life - i really wonder if I am cut out for the nature of the job. My question is this: is there any way to observe surgery before you're a med student? anyone in the Austin, TX area that would have specific insight? ANything helps.


jg

 

[sscooterguy]

Hi there. I am in my sophomore year in college and I've been doing the whole pre-med thing. I decided to do this at the start of my freshman year, but since i made the choice so late in my life - i really wonder if I am cut out for the nature of the job. My question is this: is there any way to observe surgery before you're a med student? anyone in the Austin, TX area that would have specific insight? ANything helps.


jg

You are not too late in your life. Many don't make the decision until much later. I didn't make the decision until very late into my junior year.

I personally never saw a surgery before medical school. I just volunteered at my university hospital. I'm sure there's a hospital near you that has a volunteer office. I would contact them for more information. As for observing a surgery, you can do that if you like. Don't feel that you have to though. There are many other things you can do, my girlfriend volunteered in the ER, I volunteered in peds cardiology doing EKGs, my friend worked at a hotline for battered women.

If you really want to see a surgery, here's what I would do:
Get online, and check out the local med school's webpage. Email a few people, from the dean of students to department heads. Explain who you are, and that you want to observe a surgery. Don't go into a long story, but ask them if they could point you in the right direction. A lot surgeons that I know now are more than happy to have med 1/2 as well as undergrads come in to observe, its just you have to contact them. Just keep emailing people until someone responds.

Good luck,

sscooterguy

 

[robotsonic]

I decided to do this at the start of my freshman year, but since i made the choice so late in my life -

Dude, deciding at the start of your freshman year is not "late" in any way. Don't listen to those people who say they have been preparing for med school since pre-kindergarten.

As for observing surgery, you can do it. At my undergrad university, there was a health careers office and they set up pre-meds with alumni physicians. I got to see an aortic valve replacement in my junior year. If you have a pre-med or health careers office, go ask them.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Hi there. I am in my sophomore year in college and I've been doing the whole pre-med thing. I decided to do this at the start of my freshman year, but since i made the choice so late in my life - i really wonder if I am cut out for the nature of the job. My question is this: is there any way to observe surgery before you're a med student? anyone in the Austin, TX area that would have specific insight? ANything helps.


jg

just talk to any doctor that you know and they are usually willing to help a premed find shadowing opportunities. this past week I shadowed an ob/gyn while he performed some surgeries and it was quite exciting. dont be shy and just ask around and you'll be sure to find something.

 

[FictionalGirl]

Are you a returning student? If not, a sophomore is like what, 20? 19? mabye 21? hmmmmm..... if you think thats late in your life, its a bad attitude to have for later. lots of people don't even choose med school till they're done with college. some people are writers first.... *cough*.... nothin' wrong with that.... some of us even CHOSE to have a different career first! I guess i'm just crazy and elderly, yup, all of 26 🙂 hehehehe

Seriously, good luck and relax.

 

[shahalam]

i observed surgery when i was a sophomore in highschool. but, i had connections to the hospital through my dad so i really dont know how it would work out for you.

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

i observed surgery when i was a sophomore in highschool. but, i had connections to the hospital through my dad so i really dont know how it would work out for you.

Yeah me too...well, my friend's dad. I wish there was some sort of DVD series with surgeries on it. Yeah, pretty dorky...but I would be interested to see how these procedures work.

 

[Pontifex Maximus]

Late? I didn't decide until the end of my junior year!

 

[teeney6]

Yeah me too...well, my friend's dad. I wish there was some sort of DVD series with surgeries on it. Yeah, pretty dorky...but I would be interested to see how these procedures work.

I thought I was 'for sure' pre-med when I was a sophomore in college, but then I started considering other things so I wasn't completely sure... After college I took a clinical research position working in a pediatric hospital where I got to observe a couple surgeries. I didn't do ANY medical research until the end of my senior year. So far I have been accepted to two medical schools and I will have 3 publications this year. AND my MCAT score and GPA were not that great.

So first of all, you are NOT in any way 'behind' by deciding early in your college career. Second, I HIGHLY recommend taking time off between college and medical school. So if you haven't observed a surgery by the time you graduate college, you will have plenty of time after that if you so desire.

Finally, Merry Christmas!!!!

For those of you reading this, go spend some time with your family. It's Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Apparition]

Yeah me too...well, my friend's dad. I wish there was some sort of DVD series with surgeries on it. Yeah, pretty dorky...but I would be interested to see how these procedures work.

www.or-live.com

 

[potato51]

are you a UT Austin student? Maybe you can contact officers of the pre-med organizations there. I remember there were even opportunities to watch autopsies being performed. Ask around a little. Also, consider volunteering at a hospital - it's a great experience.

 

[63768]

www.or-live.com

whoa that website has some interesting things. haha i've been stuck in the orthopedics section for a while now.

and to answer the OP, talk to your premed office, premed society, or fellow premeds and see if they know anyone. if not you can call up a local hospital and ask if there are any doctors who would allow a student to observe. it's not hard and the worst they can say is no.

 

[obgyny]

Yeah me too...well, my friend's dad. I wish there was some sort of DVD series with surgeries on it. Yeah, pretty dorky...but I would be interested to see how these procedures work.

i second that motion. i'd love to watch surgeries. i watch the ones on discovery health channel, but they edit it and only show a portion. it would be neat to see an entire surgical procedure. of course, it would be much cooler to see one performed in real life, but a dvd would be the next best thing 🙂

 

[nicholasblonde]

Hi there. I am in my sophomore year in college and I've been doing the whole pre-med thing. I decided to do this at the start of my freshman year, but since i made the choice so late in my life - i really wonder if I am cut out for the nature of the job. My question is this: is there any way to observe surgery before you're a med student? anyone in the Austin, TX area that would have specific insight? ANything helps.


jg

Apply to the DeBakey Summer Surgery Program at Baylor Med...I hear they see just as many surgeries as 3rd years on surgery clinical rotations.

 

[SirTony76]

haha...the first surgery I ever saw I passed out...lol

ROCKED my head on the cabinets too.

 

[Twitch]

Apply to the DeBakey Summer Surgery Program at Baylor Med...I hear they see just as many surgeries as 3rd years on surgery clinical rotations.

Is it just for Summer I/II or the entire summer? Also why are the students on their web site scrubbing in? I thought you only observe - or can you assist?

Anyone know what they look for in applicants?

 

[JulioFly]

and when you are just sitting at home, i HIGHLY recommend Discovery Health Channel if you have cable...i consider it the pre-med's channel

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

i second that motion. i'd love to watch surgeries. i watch the ones on discovery health channel, but they edit it and only show a portion. it would be neat to see an entire surgical procedure. of course, it would be much cooler to see one performed in real life, but a dvd would be the next best thing 🙂

exactly.


Apparition, thanks for the link. 👍 I just watched a temporal lobe resection...coolest...thing..I have ever seen

 

[madbay]

My experience is arguably unique. I'm an engineering undergrad, and I networked with a local orthopedic surgeon to serve as an advisor for the senior design project my teammates and I are working on (it's a form of Mobility Assistive Equipment). When I popped the question regarding shadowing and observing surgeries, the doc was all smiles 🙂

This past week I scrubbed in for a total hip replacement, and this week I'll be seeing some more total joint procedures and shadowing him in the clinic. Orthopedics is crazy cool, and as an engineering pre-med, it's amazing to see all the tools and technology at the surgeon's disposal.

 

[sscooterguy]

My experience is arguably unique. I'm an engineering undergrad, and I networked with a local orthopedic surgeon to serve as an advisor for the senior design project my teammates and I are working on (it's a form of Mobility Assistive Equipment). When I popped the question regarding shadowing and observing surgeries, the doc was all smiles 🙂

This past week I scrubbed in for a total hip replacement, and this week I'll be seeing some more total joint procedures and shadowing him in the clinic. Orthopedics is crazy cool, and as an engineering pre-med, it's amazing to see all the tools and technology at the surgeon's disposal.

Hey madbay,
If you are indeed going into orthopedics with an engineering degree, especially ME, you're in for some great opportunities. At my institution, the orthopedics department is always looking for people with experience in engineering. Of course they work with many engineers, but as one of the physician-engineers told me, there's something lost in the vision sometimes. Cross training in engineering makes creating new tools/devices that much easier. He's already got several patents and works closely with the big equipment manufacturers.
Of course first things first, get into med school right? My engineering friend never had a problem at interviews because he could talk about doing projects in teams, and med schools ate it up.
In any case, good luck.

sscooterguy